


Androids Need Some Love, Too

by ameliasraggedyman



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Androids, In later chapters - Freeform, M/M, android!Dean, maybe some sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 17:10:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1175665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ameliasraggedyman/pseuds/ameliasraggedyman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean's an android who thinks humans are super freaking cute and is self-conscious about his own appearance. Castiel disagrees with Dean's negative view of himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> In this, Gabriel is Castiel's cousin, instead of his brother.
> 
> This work is inspired by a post by roboticdreams.tumblr.com

“Dean!”

The older Winchester grumbled, shoving his pillow over his head so he couldn’t hear the shouts that came from outside his closed door. As he turned over to go back to sleep, his door swung open and hit the wall with a loud bang.

“Dean, you need to get up, it’s a quarter past seven,” Sam’s voice was loud in the otherwise quiet room. Dean grumbled again, acknowledging his younger brother.

“I have a trig test in my first class, so we can’t miss it,” Sam said with an exasperated sigh when Dean waved his hand at him to get out of his room. Sam turned and left the room with an impatient, “Get up, Dean.”

The older boy grinned at his brother’s insistence, remembering how his mother used to be like that with his father when she was still alive. At that, he threw his pillow off the bed and swung his legs around so he could get off the bed. He stretched his arms over his head, hearing the distinct clicks and quiet groans of the metal in his arms. As everything clicked into place, he stood and hobbled over into the closet next to his bathroom, his legs clacking together. Dean wasn’t fully metal, and usually only he could hear the little cracks and pops the metal and wires made inside him. Sam heard them often, of course, but that was because he listened for it.

Dean pulled off his cotton white shirt and took down a dark blue plaid shirt and jeans from the closet rack. He opted out of wearing a shirt under the plaid, knowing he’d have to take it off in the weight room for his first class. He had a clean white shirt in his locker at school.

Dean heard footsteps approaching his door, and he called out, “I’m ready, Sammy, chill your jets.” He heard a soft “ _finally_ ” and the door opened.

“Come on, then,” Sam replied with a snarky grin to his brother. Dean smiled, and pulled on his black combat boots. They left the room together with smiles on their faces.

Dean, of course, insisted that there was enough time to grab a slice of the pie that he had made last night from the fridge. Sam rolled his eyes at this, but didn’t complain, knowing that he would never win an argument against his brother when pie was involved.

They made the drive in just over ten minutes, Dean’s driving skills put to the test with Monday drivers and a slice of apple pie in his hand. Sam and Dean separated when they entered Johnson High School, home of the Spartans.

Sam walked down the freshman hallway, and Dean watched as he got greetings from almost everyone he passed. A proud smile crossed Dean’s face as he watched his little brother. The first bell rang then, signalling five minutes until homeroom began. Dean turned and walked down the senior hallway, heading for the very last door. He got flirty smiles and waves from many of the girls he passed, and he smiled back at every one of them. The few actual greetings he got were from his friends from the football, lacrosse and wrestling teams, the three sports he had played since his freshman year at JHS. And, of course, there was the one greeting that he actually welcomed fully, a hug and kiss on the cheek from his best friend, Jo Harvelle.

“Ah, my beautiful beautiful best friend, my favourite android, Dean Winchester,” she greeted from her post leaning on her locker, which was next to his. Dean narrowed his eyes at his best friend. She only complimented him when she really wanted something.

“Is it money?” Dean asked. Jo grinned sheepishly and nodded, then went into a full explanation of how she left her wallet at home and couldn’t go back and get it without being late for school.

“You know I can’t have any more tardies,” she finished with a huge sigh and a roll of her eyes. Ellen Harvelle, Jo’s mother, was the school counselor. She and her daughter had many arguments over the fact that Jo could never seem to get to school on time. Dean smiled down at Jo, who was a good six inches below his 6 foot stature, and pulled out his wallet. A crisp twenty dollar bill was passed between the friends, and Jo smiled widely.

“Thanks, Dean-y boy,” she said before turning and walking in the direction of their homeroom. Dean shook his head with a fond grin, closed his locker, then followed her. The rest of their homeroom was already there, in their usual seats.

Except for one boy, who was sitting in Dean’s usual seat, the fourth one from the back, and third from the front. Dean stopped in the doorway of the classroom, eyeing the boy in his seat that he had been sitting in for four years. It wouldn’t bother many people, but Dean’s brain was wired to like structure.

This was not structured.

Jo followed his gaze and her eyes widened. She had learned the hard way that taking Dean’s seat meant he would break down. She quickly walked over to the boy, who looked up at her from his seat with big bright blue eyes. She conversed with him quietly, and gestured to Dean’s imposing stature in the doorway. The boy nodded quickly, and moved to a seat that was a few seats back. Dean immediately relaxed, and walked to his seat, sitting down as the bell rang. Their homeroom teacher, a tall fit man in his late twenties, waltzed into the room carrying a pile of new math books. He looked towards his class, his eyes darting around to count the students. Immediately, he looked to the boy that had taken Dean’s seat.

“Ew,” he exclaimed. A few of the girls giggled, then followed his gaze. Immediately upon seeing him, their eyes widened and they leaned in close to giggle some more. Dean and Jo’s eyes met, and they rolled simultaneously. This meant the new kid was hot.

Jo leaned in and whispered, “You know, he’s okay. But not for them, he’s definitely more of the quiet and strong girl type.” Dean eyed her for a moment, and she laughed, realizing she just described herself. They looked back to their teacher, who was blushing abashedly.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean- No, yes, I did. We had sixteen, which is a perfect square. Now we have seventeen,” he said. “Je ne l’aime pas.” Dean heard the boy in the back laugh, his deep chuckle once again gaining the attention of the girls sitting across the room. Even Dean was a little surprised, a deep laugh must mean an almost deeper voice.

“I must agree, perfect squares are covetous,” the boy said, his voice just as deep as Dean imagined. A short huff was heard from the dark-skinned boy sitting in front of Dean. Jo stifled a laugh, and eyed him when he turned around. The boy’s dark brown eyes met Jo’s, and he blushed.

“Tone down the gay, Kirk,” Jo said with a conspiratorial wink. Jim, affectionately called Kirk by Jo and Dean, stuck his tongue out at her, his tongue piercing flashing under the fluorescent light. Dean and Jo laughed quietly.

“Ah, we’re going to get along,” their homeroom teacher said as he set the math books down on the desk. “You’re Castiel Novak, correct?” The boy in the back must have nodded, because their teacher smiled and nodded.

“Well, then. Welcome, Mr. Novak, to Johnson High School, home of the Spartans,” he said. “I’m Jackson Daniels.” Jo snorted loudly, then covered her mouth, her eyes wide over her hand. Mr. Daniels looked over at her, his icy grey eyes piercing as his gaze settled on her.

“I presume you’re laughing at my name again, Miss Harvelle,” he grumbled. Jo nodded quickly. Dean smiled widely and hid behind Jim.

“If you’re wondering, Jo Harvelle, the girl you were talking to before, is amused by the fact that my name is basically Jack Daniels,” he explained. Jo tried, but could not hold her laugh in. She leaned back in her chair, her eyes slits as she laughed silently.

“I’m, ha! Sorry, so sorry, Mr. Daniels,” she finally got out as she put her head down on the desk, her shoulders still shaking with silent laughs. Mr. Daniels grinned widely then, his farce over. He loved the fact that he could amuse his students.

The bell for the end of homeroom rang ten minutes later, and Jo was still attacked by spastic giggles.

“Jack Daniels, oh man,” she sighed. “That will never get old.” Dean smiled at his best friend, then returned her fist bump as they separated in the hallway outside the door. Jo entered the room next to their homeroom for her math class, and Dean walked in the direction of the double doors. He opened them, and walked outside, heading towards the gym that was across the paved courtyard. A fountain was in the middle of the courtyard, with a statue of Menelaus, the king of Sparta, spouting water out of his spear. Dean rolled his eyes at the statue, like he always did. It was the most ridiculous thing on campus, in his opinion.

He entered the gym and immediately turned to go into the boys’ locker room. He was unbuttoning his shirt as he entered, and ran headfirst into the back of a tall, wide figure, then falling backwards onto the floor.

“Shit!” A chorus of laughter followed his exclamation. Dean joined in as he looked up at the boy he ran in to. He was tall, towering over all of the boys in the locker room. He was built like a left tackle, all muscle, except for the Taco Bell he had devoured earlier. He turned and looked down at Dean, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“S’up, short stuff,” he chuckled. Dean glared playfully at his friend, and accepted the hand that was offered to him by the big jock. Dean slapped his arm, and said, “Get out of the doorway, you fatass. You could’ve killed me, Lafitte.” The jock smiled, showing off his three cracked teeth.

“Whatever, Winchester, you can take it,” Benny defended. Dean nodded in confirmation. He had gone against guys bigger than Benny before, mostly in state wrestling competitions. Dean was built more like a linebacker, which was coincidentally his position in football. Dean was naturally good at sports, and his android qualities made him more precise. He was a powerful adversary to humans, and still quite powerful against other androids.

A short boy clapped Dean on the back as he entered the weight room. Dean turned and saw the grinning face of Gabriel, the wrestling team’s rookie, and Sam’s best friend. Dean returned his smile, then turned and walked toward his gym locker. He quickly unbuttoned the rest of his plaid shirt and stripped it off. He immediately turned and met the eyes of Gabriel, who had a towel wrung and wrapped around his arm.

“Damn,” Gabriel said with a frown. “You’re never gonna fall for it again, are you?” Dean shook his head and ruffled the younger boy’s hair. Gabriel ducked away from Dean and chuckled as he walked to his locker. Dean pulled his pants down, and heard the gears in his hips whine softly. He quickly put his gym shorts and shoes on, and saluted the captain of the team, Crowley, before going out of the back door onto the track. He looked around, his eyes drawn to the bleachers, goal posts, and football field. The muscles in his back twinged in memory of the last time he was playing on the field. He was mowed down by a Georgia high school team defense, and almost didn’t get back up. He played the rest of the game, almost snapping half the muscles in his back. Dean smiled as he set to running around the track. He had to fit five laps in before the group workout they had planned. Dean loved to run outside. The only sounds he heard were the taps of his feet hitting the ground, the quiet grind of his metal ligaments, the short huffs of his breath.

As he ran around for his fifth lap, he looked up from the ground, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the black-clothed figure that was settled in the middle of the bleachers. He squinted, trying to identify who it was. As he ran closer, he noticed they were surrounded by books and paper. Dean decided it must be someone who had study hall and came outside. He paid no attention to the person on the bleachers until there was a strong gust of wind, blowing all of the figure’s papers around. Dean heard a long gasp, and saw the person jump up, quickly placing all of their things into a hunter green backpack. Dean ran over, grabbing the papers that had blown onto the track. He managed to catch them all before they blew away, and he walked over to where the short figure was standing, watching him. Immediately, Dean’s eyes were drawn to the bright blue eyes of Castiel Novak.

Dean handed Castiel the papers he had in his arms, careful not to brush against him, as he was covered in sweat from his run.

“Thank you…” Castiel said, waiting for Dean’s reply.

“Dean Winchester.” Castiel smiled and said, “Dean.”

“You should be a little more careful, the wind will quite literally carry your stuff into the abyss,” Dean grinned. Castiel smiled back, and said he’d try to be more careful.

“Winchester!” Dean and Castiel jumped at the yell that came from the gym. Dean saw Benny, who waved him over. Dean waved back, indicating he would be there in a minute.

“Well, I better get going,” Dean said. “Bye, Cas.” With that, Dean was off running, leaving Castiel behind him, slightly gaping at the nickname Dean had given him.


	2. Friday Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friday nights at the Winchester house are definitely interesting.

Sam and Dean strode out of the high school a few days later, headed out for lunch off-campus. The younger students were only allowed out if they had an older sibling in the senior class. Dean slipped his android-friendly sunglasses on as they walked out into the hot sun. Sam rolled his eyes at the reflective aviators Dean put on.

“Dean, have you met a boy called Castiel?” Sam asked as they both got into the car. Dean nodded at his brother.

“Castiel Novak? Yeah, he’s in a few of my classes,” Dean answered as he put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. “He’s… interesting.” Dean thought back to the second day Castiel was at school, remembering the long conversation Castiel had had with Mr. Daniels about some sort of obscure type of math, and how in English he seemed to answer every single question that their teacher had asked. Jo had sat, unamused, as he answered everything, leaving her in the dust. Jo was the smartest person Dean knew, and was a shoo-in for valedictorian. She didn’t like how Castiel took over every class with his book-smart charm.

“Well, he’s Gabriel’s cousin, and I was wondering if it was okay with you if he came over to dinner on Friday,” Sam said, interrupting Dean’s thoughts.

“As long as Jo’s okay with him being there, I’m down,” Dean said. Jo and Dean had been spending every Friday night for six years hanging out at Dean’s house, doing whatever amused them. For the past two weeks, Friday night involved yelling and shoving as they tried to beat each other’s high scores on Flappy Bird. This week, however, they wouldn’t be doing that, as Jo had thrown her phone the week before, efficiently cracking the screen. Dean planned a night of pizza and video games that didn’t involve a stupid yellow bird and Mario pipes. Maybe some Arkham Asylum, or Left 4 Dead 2.

“Gabe says he’s pretty okay at video games, maybe you can let him play with you,” Sam said with a hopeful glance at his brother. Sam was the only person Dean and Jo allowed to play video games with them, and that’s only because Sam wasn’t good at it, and they could beat him easily.

Dean put his left indicator on as he stopped at a stop light. He contemplated how Jo would take it if he let Castiel play with them. Dean wasn’t opposed to the idea, but he had to take his best friend’s opinion into account.

“I’ll ask her,” Dean said to his brother. The smile that appeared on Sam’s face made the corners of Dean’s mouth twitch.

~D-C~

“Are you ready to get your pretty ass kicked?” Jo shouted as she jumped up from the couch, holding her Wii remote in her hands.

Dean and Jo had exhausted the two games Dean had planned out, and decided to take each other on in Wii sports. Jo had the highest score in boxing, a sport Dean was hopelessly terrible at. He liked wrestling much more than just punching people. The act of bringing someone to the ground using his body brought him pleasure. Especially when he won.

“Just try to go easy on me, Joanna,” he mocked with a grin at her as she gasped with a big smile. Dean never used her full name.

“Oh, you’re on, you son of a bitch,” she growled. Dean laughed at her choice of words; that was usually what he said.

“Language, children!” A high pitched voice filled the room. Dean and Jo turned to see Gabriel standing in the doorway to the living room, his hand over his heart in fake exasperation. Jo giggled at Gabriel’s motherly exclamation. Dean smiled at the younger boy, noticing that he was wearing Sam’s AC/DC shirt. Gabriel wore Sam’s clothes at his house almost constantly, just as much as Jo stole and wore Dean’s old band shirts.

“Hey, baby Gabey,” Jo cooed, walking over with her arms outstretched, ready to engulf him in a hug. Gabriel’s face soured at the nickname, his nose scrunched up. He accepted the hug anyways. No one refused a hug from Jo Harvelle.

Dean smiled at the embrace, then noticed the slightly taller figure standing in the doorway behind them. Castiel stood there, the corners of his mouth raised slightly as he watched his cousin and Jo. Castiel was wearing all black again, a color Dean had noticed was a staple in the boy’s every outfit. Castiel met Dean’s eyes and nodded in greeting. Dean nodded back. Sam then entered the room holding a large bowl of salsa, and an even larger bowl of tortilla chips. Jo eyed the bowl hungrily as she let go of Gabriel.

“Ooh, Sammy, did you make me your wonderful homemade salsa?” Jo followed Sam to the coffee table, immediately snatching a chip and dipping it into the salsa.

“Of course, Jo. I know it’s your favourite,” Sam replied with a big smile. Sam had been experimenting with his cooking since he entered a competition in fifth grade and won first place for his cherry pie. Dean was the proudest big brother in the world when Sam received the trophy. And, of course, also the worst brother because he ate the entire pie the next day.

Jo’s almost pornographic moan filled the room as she stuffed the entire tortilla chip in her mouth.

“I’m-f in fuffing heaven right now,” she said as she chewed. Gabriel and Castiel chuckled together, their laughs almost identical. It was the only thing Dean noticed they had in common. Sam smiled proudly at his brother’s best friend.

“Are you two about to play Wii boxing?” Castiel asked as he wandered across the room to settle on the couch, his legs pulled up beneath him. Jo nodded excitedly as she shoved another chip piled down with salsa into her mouth.

“She’s about to beat me,” Dean said with a playful glare at his best friend. “I’ve only won once against her, and that’s because I actually punched her.” Gabriel burst out laughing at this.

“Oh, man, I was there,” he laughed. “It was hilarious. She had a black eye for a week, because of the metal wiring in Dean’s hand. Sam did the same thing the week before, but got her in the stomach.”

“Best five seconds of my life,” Sam chimed in. “Before she punched me back.” Jo burst out laughing at this.

“I’m still sorry about that, Sammy,” she chortled. “But it’s your own damn fault.” The room burst into laughter.

After the predicted beat down of Dean by Jo, she played all of the other boys in the room. She beat every single one of them with a smile on her face. Gabriel almost hit her in the face a few times, but managed to stop himself. Castiel got close to beating her, even closer than Dean, who had been reigning second. Castiel’s face was red when he collapsed onto the couch next to Dean. He huffed his defeat loudly, and Jo shook his hand. She was also quite red. Dean had never seen her get that riled up, and so close to losing.

“You are really good, Cas,” Jo sighed as she collapsed over Dean’s lap. Dean patted her knee, and she huffed at him. “Don’t touch, I’m hot.”

“Yes, yes you are,” Gabriel’s voice came ringing down the hallway from the kitchen where he was helping Sam make pizza. A loud smack was heard, followed by Gabriel’s yowl, “But you’re much hotter, Sam, I promise.” Sam burst out laughing.

“No, stupid, don’t call her hot,” Dean heard his little brother say. “She doesn’t like it.” Jo grinned. Dean shook his head. She had told Gabriel last year, when he started hanging around, that she’d beat him up if he kept coming on to her. Unbeknownst to him, she actually loved hearing it.

“I love it when your brother defends my honor. I makes me feel like part of the family,” Jo murmured to Dean as she shut her eyes. Before Dean could reply, Jo fell asleep, soft sighs replacing the deep breaths she was taking before.

“Geez, you really wore her out, Cas,” Dean said quietly to Castiel. Once again, the use of a nickname baffled Castiel.

“Why do you call me that?” Dean scrunched his eyebrows together, confused about what Castiel was saying.

“You call me ‘Cas’,” he explained. “No one calls me that.” Dean nodded in understanding.

“Alright, then, Castiel,” Dean assented. Castiel shook his head quickly.

“No, no, call me Cas,” he said. “I like it.” Dean smiled, and said, “Cas it is, then.”

Dean and Castiel lapsed into a comfortable silence, Dean watching Jo sleep, and Castiel looking around the room at the pictures on the walls.

“She’s pretty,” Castiel said after a few minutes, gesturing to the picture on the wall of a beautiful blonde woman with kind eyes and a motherly smile.

“That’s my mom, Mary,” Dean whispered. “And, before you ask, she died in a fire when Sam was six months old. And, again, before you ask, my dad, John, died as well, a couple months ago in a car accident, just after I turned eighteen.”

“I’m-” Castiel started. Dean shook his head and interrupted Castiel, “Don’t be sorry, it’s okay. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”

“Actually, I was going to ask about what Gabriel said earlier,” Castiel said. “About the metal in your hand?” Dean’s eyebrows raised, he hadn’t heard what Gabriel said. The fact that Dean was an android wasn’t necessarily a secret, but he wasn’t used to questions about it. Many people just kinda accepted it and moved on. Jo was the only person who really asked about it, when they were younger.

“I’m an android,” Dean answered Castiel. “ My mom and dad bought me when they found out my mom had a one in a billion chance of conceiving. Sammy came when I was four. He was a little miracle baby.” Dean’s smile was warm as he remembered when they first found out his mom was pregnant. He slept in their room every night during those eight months, sometimes waking up to coo to his mother’s belly. Not even Dean’s mother had paid that much attention to Sam before he was born. Even after Sam was born, Dean would look at him like he did his mother’s stomach when Sam was inside. Mary and John always joked about how Dean would be the perfect big brother. They were right. Sam and Dean did argue every once in a while, but they were never mad at one another for more than a day or two.

“An android,” Castiel gasped, interrupting Dean’s reminiscing. “I’ve never seen one in person, just those ones on tv and in movies.”

“Yeah, it’s rare to see an android in a family,” Dean said. “They’re usually made to do stuff.” Dean made his right hand a fist and leaned it toward Castiel so the metal wirings inside caught the light. They shone dimly from under Dean’s skin, and Castiel raised his hand, asking with eyes for permission from Dean to touch. Dean nodded, and Castiel ran his fingertips over Dean’s knuckles. Castiel’s cold hands made Dean suck in a breath. It felt strange to him.

“I’ve always wanted to know how androids work,” Castiel admitted as he watched the gears in Dean’s hand move as he stretched his fingers out.

“Truth be told,” Dean said with a smile. “So do I.” Castiel and Dean shared a laugh at that. A loud crash came from the direction of the kitchen, followed by a loud, “Shit!” Jo stirred at this, stretching out her limbs as her eyes opened slowly.

“Dammit,” she murmured. “Can’t those two let a lady get her beauty sleep.” Dean shook his head at his best friend.

“I sincerely doubt you need beauty sleep, Jo Harvelle,” Castiel said to her with a smile. Jo’s cheeks turned red at his comment. Dean “Aww’d,” making her slap his arm.

“Don’t be a douche-nozzle, Losechester,” she berated. Dean put a hand to his chest in mock-agony.

“Oh,” he moaned. “Oh, no, my heart! It’s breaking!” Castiel laughed loudly, throwing his head back onto the back of the couch. Jo joined in, their bodies shaking the couch. Dean tried not to grin at his own joke, but couldn’t help but crack a smile at the two laughing.

“When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s amoreeeee,” the off-tune singing came from Gabriel as he walked into the room with one hand wrapped in gauze and the other holding a large circular plate that had pizza on top of it.

“I see that’s what caused the girly screaming,” Castiel said with a sly grin to his younger cousin. Gabriel eyed Castiel, but everyone could see the corner of his mouth twitching.

“I should deprive you of this delicious pizza, Castiel Novak,” Gabriel said. “But Sammy-boy worked hard and his cooking is the shit, so I can’t let any go to waste.” Dean looked towards the entrance to the hallway, and saw Sam smiling at his best friend. It took a lot for Gabriel to say he liked anything, especially food that wasn’t sweets, so Dean knew this was making Sam really happy.

Gabriel set the plate down on the coffee table, and said, “Bon appétit, bitches.” Jo snorted at this and her hand darted out to grab a slice of pizza. Dean, Castiel and Gabriel all took a piece, and dug in. The appreciative grumbles and moans that filled the room made Sam’s smile get even wider. Dean winked at his younger brother, then nodded his pride. Nothing could replace the expression on Sam’s face for Dean. Sam was so happy knowing he could make his big brother proud with something that their father had always been against.

“Okay, now,” Gabriel started. “Who’s up for a round of Just Dance 2014?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this will start moving a little faster now. I just needed to set the stage.


End file.
